Knowing the three-dimensional structure of biological macromolecules, such as proteins and DNA, is crucial for understanding the functioning of life. Biological crystallography, the main method of structural biology, which is the branch of biology that studies the structure and spatial organization in biological macromolecules, is based on the study of X-ray diffraction by crystals of macromolecules. But now, it is being used to create videos of the body's inner workings at a hitherto unseen level of detail. This new view inside the body is likely to accelerate the development of more effective drugs for dementia and infection. It was a wacky alternative to other techniques for decades. But over time, scientists refined cryo-EM to the point that it earned a Nobel Prize for chemistry in 2017. But, crucially, there was a perfect storm of improvements in camera technology, image processing, reduced cost and increased computing power that has utterly transformed "blob ology" into "ultra-high-definition-3D-video-ology".
